Water Advisories in Canada’s First Nations’ Communities

April 2017

Written by: Matt Jalink, MSc Candidate in Community Health and Epidemiology

Clean, drinkable water is a luxury that we as Canadians take for granted. Our nation has the second largest landmass with an abundance of fresh water, accounting for 20% of the world’s fresh water stores. Turning on the tap is not a cause for concern for most Canadians, but it is a serious issue among our First Nations communities. Only 6 months ago, a CBC investigation found that 2/3 of all First Nation Communities in Canada have been under a minimum of 1 drinking advisory at some time in the last decade.

As of Jan 31st 2017 in 77 First Nations communities south of the 60th parallel, there were 28 short-term drinking water advisories, indicating that there is a temporary water quality issue on a specific water system and 96 long-term DWAs, meaning the advisory has been in place for more than one year. These figures are also underestimated because British Columbia First Nations and communities within the Saskatoon Tribal Council are not included in this count. Some First Nations communities have had drinking water advisories for decades, like Shoal Lake Reserve on the Manitoba-Ontario border, which have been on a boil advisory for over 20 years.

Another example comes from the Potlotek First Nations community in Cape Breton, where the residents are living with terrible water conditions. Dark, dirty water is flowing from the taps due to high concentrations of iron and manganese. Residents are refusing to drink the water and a no boil drinking water advisory is in effect, despite being declared safe to drink by Health Canada. Only 10km away in the neighboring community St. Peter’s, residents have clean, clear drinking water. The residents of the Potlotek First Nations community held a protest this past fall in response to the ongoing water issues, and the federal government responded by granting the Potlotek community a new multi-million dollar water system. According to the regional director general for Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada Chris McDonnell, the committee formed to plan the new multi-million dollar water system includes the Potlotek community, community water treatment plant operators, engineers from Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada, and a private sector company. However, the new system is expected to take several years to complete, and the residents are forced to continue to use bottled water.

Drinking water advisories are based on the results of water quality tests, which may be issued if water is considered to be either potentially unsafe, or confirmed unsafe. The chiefs and councils of the First Nations communities are responsible for issuing the water drinking advisories. Health Canada is partnered with First Nations communities to monitor the quality of drinking water and advise on issues related to water safety. Three types of drinking water advisories can be recommended by Health Canada. They include: boil water advisories, do not consume advisories, and do not use advisories, which increase in severity.

Sustainable Development Goal #6

The liberal government made fixing drinking water advisories in our First Nations communities a priority in their election campaign. They pledged $1.8 billion dollars over five years to lift all long–term drinking water advisories. A year and a half into term, the Liberals are behind on schedule. Very little has been done in decreasing the number of drinking water advisories, which may be due in part to their complexity. If a drinking water advisory has been lifted, it doesn’t necessarily mean the drinking water is safe across the entire community. Often communities are battling multiple water advisories simultaneously, and one advisory can cover a single building, or an entire community. Adding to the complexity, drinking water advisories flicker on and off regularly, fostering a feeling of mistrust in the safety of the water. For example, Indigenous Affairs Canada claims that a 16-year boil water advisory in Nazko, B.C. was lifted in Nov 20th 2015. But the water is still considered unsafe to drink because of dangerous concentrations of arsenic present in the water. According to a resident, the filter at their water treatment plant responsible for removing the toxic element has stopped working and hasn’t yet been repaired.

There is often confusion over which drinking water advisories are active, which may be attributed to discrepancies between Health Canada and Indigenous Affairs Canada lists. As mentioned above, Health Canada lists 96 long-term drinking water advisories in 77 communities while Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada lists only 71 long-term drinking water advisories in 48 communities. More needs to be done to help lift drinking water advisories off of our First Nation’s Communities so everyone can have access to clear, clean, safe water.